I think I accidentally over limed my garden soil

[AKbaker]

Hi everyone, I am in a bit of a late at night panic.....I have been working hard to improve my garden soil up here in Alaska, we have famously bad soil that requires lots of attention to be even remotely workable. Anyway, I got a soil sample done, and among other recommendations, was told by the soil analyist that I needed to add 5.5# dolomitic lime and 5.5# agricultural lime per 100sq ft to raise my pH. (my soil sample said my pH was about 5.5) I dutifully followed these recommendations to a t, as well as adding other organic recommended nutrients. I limed and amended about a month ago, by the time I got my soil analysis back last fall, the ground was long frozen and snowed under. As soon as I planted my starts, my tomatoes in particular instantly developed yellow leaves near the top as well as browning at the tips, though the veins remained green. I have done a lot of googling to try to figure out why, and finally had a eureka moment this evening realizing that all the "nutrient deficiencies" these symptoms pointed to might have a bigger root cause....too much lime aka too high of pH. It all made sense, and now I'm in a panic because I have KNOWN all along that it's very difficult to lower pH. I was even careful to add slightly less of lime than I was told "just in case" but from what I am reading on the internet, I added almost twice as much lime as I should have. I reached back out to the soil analyist to clarify this, and I am planning to get something to help test the soil pH to confirm this, but I'm here to see if anyone else has ever done this, and if so, is there hope for my garden this year? I am feeling very discouraged because I can't tell you how much work I have put into my garden for this growing season. Would love a little hope. Having a hard time finding good info on the internet as to what someone should do if they accidentally add too much lime. I'm concerned that adding sulfur within weeks of adding lime might be too much? Can I add peat moss? Or should I just go for it and add the sulfur? Would love for this year to not be a total bust.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

Be honest, did not read your entire statement. But, I live around Amish, lots of them, they put a coating of lime on their fields late in the fall AFTER they have tilled out the fields and spread the very stinky water manure. They leave the white coating on the fields and let mother nature, rain snow ect --let it gently absorb into the soil. Then in the spring they are at it again tilling.
Another thing, some Amish do is plant "cover crops" you will have to google for what all those are, and what nutrients they provide to the soil. From what I am understanding the "cover crops" then when grown are till into the soil in the spring, and what they want to plant is then planted. Not every field receives the white lime, and not every field gets a cover crop. Both interesting study indeed.

 

[Meadowlark]

It is very important for you to get an accurate measurement of the ph now. Most of those cheap meters are highly suspect in accuracy. Before adding any more amendments get an accurate ph reading.

Do you know what the magnesium level was prior to the dolomitic lime addition? and what it is currently?

I never use dolomitic lime myself because it is highly susceptible to adversely affecting your magnesium levels and those are very important in growing tomatoes. The recommended rate of aglime sounds right on to me. However, the use of dolomitic lime is "normally" only done when magnesium levels are very low.... which is why I asked about those levels.

Again, I recommend not doing any amendments until you get an accurate ph measurement.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

DON'T PANIC !!! I would hold back from the sulphur, and any other 'acidic' artificial, these things tend to adjust themselves quite well. If it were my ground I would probably add a good thick layer of manure and then till it in as deeply as I could. That would not do any harm in any case, plus it will give the lime something to react with, and it will spread it out over a larger vertical area. Of course if you have compost, or even dirt from elsewhere, that you can add that will also decrease the concentration of the lime.

PS. I don't know what it is like over there, but here if you buy in bulk you can get a large trailer load of mushroom compost pretty cheaply, probably not a bad addition in any case from what you say. By the sack of course it is far more expensive.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

PS. I don't know what it is like over there, but here if you buy in bulk you can get a large trailer load of mushroom compost pretty cheaply, probably not a bad addition in any case from what you say. By the sack of course it is far more expensive

I can get Mushroom compost very easy at my house, in Chester County, where Kennett sq, is the mushroom capital of the world.

 

[DirtMechanic]

So just a tip related to the 100sf measure you said you were given. That measurement has an assumed depth that you did not point out. You can cut in half anything you have done by digging deeper with a shovel and mixing it up with a larger volume of soil thus thinning your percentages radically. It is useful to use a scale and a bicket and figure out how much 1 cubic foot of your soul weighs. Because you know how much weight of lime you used you can set any percent you wish. Its not out of control at all, but you may have caused yourself some work.

 

[AKbaker]

DON'T PANIC !!! I would hold back from the sulphur, and any other 'acidic' artificial, these things tend to adjust themselves quite well. If it were my ground I would probably add a good thick layer of manure and then till it in as deeply as I could. That would not do any harm in any case, plus it will give the lime something to react with, and it will spread it out over a larger vertical area. Of course if you have compost, or even dirt from elsewhere, that you can add that will also decrease the concentration of the lime.

PS. I don't know what it is like over there, but here if you buy in bulk you can get a large trailer load of mushroom compost pretty cheaply, probably not a bad addition in any case from what you say. By the sack of course it is far more expensive.

Thank you , and to everyone that replied. I was able to talk with the soil analyst on the phone today, and your feedback is also really helpful. It seems like I added the right amount of lime, but because it's so fresh, it is probably just a little too much for my plants; it's also been a really cold spring, so they are likely dealing with a lot of stress right now. Re: manure: do you mean composted or uncomposted manure? I have access to free spent grains, and was thinking to work some of those in. Don't think there's a source for mushroom compost nearby.

 

[AKbaker]

It is very important for you to get an accurate measurement of the ph now. Most of those cheap meters are highly suspect in accuracy. Before adding any more amendments get an accurate ph reading.

Do you know what the magnesium level was prior to the dolomitic lime addition? and what it is currently?

I never use dolomitic lime myself because it is highly susceptible to adversely affecting your magnesium levels and those are very important in growing tomatoes. The recommended rate of aglime sounds right on to me. However, the use of dolomitic lime is "normally" only done when magnesium levels are very low.... which is why I asked about those levels.

Again, I recommend not doing any amendments until you get an accurate ph measurement.

My magnesium levels according to soil sample were 117 ppm or 354 lb/A. I have to confess I don't exactly know what that means, but that's the results I got.

 

[DirtMechanic]

My magnesium levels according to soil sample were 117 ppm or 354 lb/A. I have to confess I don't exactly know what that means, but that's the results I got.

I had to go look it up. I read 80-100 lb is sufficient.

 

[Meadowlark]

My magnesium levels according to soil sample were 117 ppm or 354 lb/A.

That would be considered above the optimal range according to the lab I use....70 ppm is the top of the optimal range for magnesium.

Adding dolomitic lime would make that level even higher. So, I don't understand why your lab recommended that? You might want to ask them about that. I do know that dolomitic lime is used only when magnesium levels are low and yours are certainly not low.

 

[Heirloom farmer1969]

Thank you , and to everyone that replied. I was able to talk with the soil analyst on the phone today, and your feedback is also really helpful. It seems like I added the right amount of lime, but because it's so fresh, it is probably just a little too much for my plants; it's also been a really cold spring, so they are likely dealing with a lot of stress right now. Re: manure: do you mean composted or uncomposted manure? I have access to free spent grains, and was thinking to work some of those in. Don't think there's a source for mushroom compost nearby.

That would be considered above the optimal range according to the lab I use....70 ppm is the top of the optimal range for magnesium.

Adding dolomitic lime would make that level even higher. So, I don't understand why your lab recommended that? You might want to ask them about that. I do know that dolomitic lime is used only when magnesium levels are low and yours are certainly not low.

 

[headfullofbees]

Mixing lime & manure causes a chemical reaction which releases ammonium gas, not a good idea.
Use grass cuttings & rototill them in.